Barns, Gym Floors Upcycled Into Amazing New Projects
Quick, what are the walls in your house made of? How about your kitchen table?
Many people might answer, “um, sheetrock?” followed by “whatever Pottery Barn uses.” But there more unique and creative options out there, like an old school gym floor or pieces of an abandoned factory.
Even though most of us don’t always pay close attention to what’s been used to build our homes or furniture, that’s changing ascreative and ambitious makers find ways to upcycle salvaged materials.
See that bar? It was once a high school gym floor. (Photo: Central Pizza)
Re-use has been happening for years, but mostly in commercial spaces, says Christopher Stock, owner of Philadelphia Salvage, which sells salvaged and reclaimed materials ranging from antique plumbing fixtures to factory doors to church pulpits. “In urban areas especially, a lot of the restaurants have reclaimed wood tables and reclaimed wood flooring, but it’s slowly reaching beyond,” according to Stock, who recently opened a new shop in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, to meet demand of those living in nearby pricey suburban homes. “Homeowners and designers out there are just figuring this out and coming into our store.”
Kadence Englehardt, director of operations for Earthwise Architectural Salvage, which has retail warehouses in both Seattle and Tacoma, Washington, says she’s definitely seen an uptick in interest in recent years, in part thanks to pop culture. “The picker shows, 'Storage Wars,’ and 'Pawns Stars' have really brought it to the forefront,” according to Englehardt.
Related story on Yahoo Makers: Turn an Old Candle Into a New One for Next to Nothing
It’s a true case of one man’s trash becoming another’s treasure. Salvage outfits will usually do the job for free, pulling out and hauling away tile, flooring, mirrors, and anything else that might otherwise be dumped when an old home is being renovated or a building is going to be demolished. Then they’ll sell it off (often after refurbishing it) to someone in the market for just that thing. “There are a lot of people who just don’t want something to go in the trash because they’re thinking about it more these days,” says Stock.
As cool as it sounds, the more examples you see, the cooler it gets. Here, a roundup of five of the most interesting ways unwanted materials from bygone eras have been reincarnated around the country.
(Photo: Philadelphia Salvage Company)
Then: Chocolate Factory Flooring, Now: Display Counter at a Tea Shop The wood wainscoting around the counter at this Philadelphia-area store is made from Southern yellow pine, a light-colored wood common in the Northeast. So why is the color so dark? Blame its previous home – an old chocolate factory. ”It had been soaked with cocoa for 100 years as workers made chocolate,” explains Stock. “It seeped into it. It was so gooey and disgusting, but once you cleaned it up and sanded it, it just looks amazing. And, no, it doesn’t smell like chocolate. Everyone asks that.”
(Photo: JC Paz for Lynn Gaffney Architect, PLLC)
Then: Planks from a Mushroom Barn, Now: Interior and Exterior Walls of a Country Home
When Lynn Gaffney, founder of Brooklyn-based Lynn Gaffney Architect, PLLC, was designing a home in New York’s the Catskill Mountains for some environmentally conscious clients, she headed to a local supplier of vintage reclaimed wood. “I knew they had a huge warehouse and I putzed around,” she recounts. Gaffney eventually found a big batch of cypress planks dubbed “mushroom wood” since they once served as planks inside mushroom barns – barns used to dry out freshly picked fungi. She used the wood as walls in the kitchen, living and dining areas, and as horizontal siding featured on the outside the house, which she describes as a “modern interpretation of an Adirondack-styled home.”
(Photo: Earthwise Architectural Salvage)
Then: High School Gymnasium Floor, Now: Pizzeria Tables and Bar
When Seattle’s Lakeside High School (which happens to be Bill Gates’ alma matter) was renovating its gym a few years back, nearby Earthwise Architectural Salvage was able to find a new gig for the flooring that had been in place since the ’60s as the bar and tables at the hip Central Pizza, where diners can nosh on gourmet pie and cocktails atop striped-and-lettered wood where thousands of teenagers once hurled dodge balls.
(Photo: Åke E:son Lindman via Dezeen)
Then: Puzzle Factory Walls Now: Interior of a Swedish Home
Swedish architect Leo Qvarsebo recently generated lots of buzz after designing a triangular, split-level summer home for himself and his family using birch plywood sourced from a defunct puzzle factory to line the walls and ceilings. He incorporated the same lumber into the staircase and some built-in furniture, according to Dezeen magazine, and also used only second-hand doors and windows for his masterpiece, which he describes in an interview with the publication as “a bit like a treehouse for adults.”
Then: Church Pews, Now: Reception Desk at Vet’s Office
For a new local vet clinic, Stock turned some solid wood pews extracted from an old church Stock into a desk to be used in the reception area. The vet provided Philadelphia Salvage with the tags from pets who had passed away which were inlayed on the wood in remembrance. Church pews are a popular salvage item since they’re super versatile in both homes and businesses. As for church pulpits, those are most frequently re-used as host stands in restaurants, says Stock. Hopefully, they still take you to your table before giving a sermon.
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